Multitape telegraph receiver



Oct. 7, 1941. R, WHEELER AL 2,257,828

MULTITAPE TELEGRAPH RECEIVER Filed Feb. 9, 1940 Patented Oct. 7, 1941 MULTITAPE TELEGR APH RECEIVER Evan B. Wheeler, Plainfleld, N. 1., Robert F. Dirkes, Jamaica, N. Y., and Vernon R. Kimball, Union City, N. J., assignors to The Western Union Telegraph Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 9, 1940, Serial No. 318,020

11 Claims.

This invention relates primarily to telegraph receivers and more particularly to telegraph receivers or tickers of the general type employed to record stock quotations and financial news on a tape. This type of telegraph receiver adapted to print on a single tape is generally well known in the art and has been employed for recording stock quotations etc. for many years.

Telegraph receivers or tickers in general use at present for the recording of stock quotations, etc. and particularly those known in the art as high speed tickers which are used, for example, in recording the prices of stocks on the New York Stock Exchange are capable of operating at such a high rate of speed that when used on other services which are usually less busy, they are idle a large portion of the time as the volume of business on many smaller exchanges is not suflicient to keep the high speed tickers operating at their maximum capacity. Where separate tickers are employed, and such is usually the case, to record the news and quotations from each one of the smaller exchanges, each of such services require a separate wire system and when the volume of business is not suflicient to keep the tickers and wire systems reasonably busy the result is inefficient use of the systems and tickers.

Heretofore arrangements have been made for recording the quotations from two or more smaller exchanges on a single ticker and have such tickers served by a single wire system. This arrangement eliminates the necessity of having several separate wire systems, one for each exchange, with a like number of tickers at each receiving point and obviously more efllciently employs the wire system used in such an arrangement. In this arrangement the quotations from all of the exchanges comprising the composite system are recorded on a single tape with the quotations from each one of the exchanges usually being designated or distinguished by some predetermined distinguishing character transmitted before or after each quotation or group of quotations from a particular exchange. Although such an arrangement makes more efllcient use of the tickers and a wire system it has the disadvantage of recording all the quotations fromthe various exchanges on a single tape and anyone desiring to read the prices or quotations from a single exchange has to review the entire tape which has quotations thereon from the other exchanges. If the particular exchange an observer is interested in happens to be less busy than some of the other exchanges on the same system, the observer may have to review a considerable length of tape before finding the desired quotations and such an arrangement is more or less confusing. In addition the various exchanges may use similar symbols for different commodities and the observers would have to determine from which exchange the particular quotation was received resulting in delay and confusion.

In the above arrangement the transmission to the one wire system of quotations from a plurality of exchanges may be effected in any one of a number of well known manners, such as for example where an editor reviews the quotations received from the various exchanges and retransmits them over the wire system employing the tickers used .to record the quotations from the plurality of exchanges. Also the transmission to the ticker system from several exchanges may be effected automatically by permitting each to send for a certain interval with proper safeguards as to duration and other features.

To eliminate the disadvantages of having the quotations from several exchanges printed or recorded on a common tape while at the same time effecting the economies attendant in employing a single wire system and single tickers at receiving points, it is the primary object of this invention to employ a single wire system for disseminating the quotations from the plurality of exchanges and provide a single ticker or receiver for recording the quotations from each exchange on separate tapes, the one ticker being employed to control the printing on the separate tapes.

While the above object of providing a single ticker for selective recording on a plurality of tapes is the primary object of the invention other objects thereof will appear hereinafter.

For a comprehensive understanding of the invention and the various features and operations of the same, reference is had to the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in the latter of which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the essential elements of a telegraph printer such as a highspeed ticker, together with elements for controlling the printing on and advancing the various tapes.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with some of the elements broken away showing the printing and tape control mechanisms, and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a modification of a selecting arrangement employed to select the various printing units.

The invention is shown and hereinafter described as being associated and operating in conjunction with a high-speed ticker, such a ticker being fully shown and described in a patent to S. Morton et al. No. 1,821,110, issued Septemher 1, 1931. However, the application of the invention as will be hereinafter apparent, is not limited to this particular type of ticker as the principles of the invention could be equally well applied to various other receivers, the above mentioned high-speed ticker being employed conjunction with the invention merely for th purpose of illustration and the description of the ticker will hereafter be limited to its general operation and to the operation of the elements cooperating with the elements of the invention.

As hereinbefore stated, the invention in genral contemplates the employment of a single ticker responsive to signals representing quotations from a plurality of exchanges with means at the ticker for selectively choosing a tape representing the particular exchange from which the signals originated and recording associated quotations thereon. Each tape representing a particular exchange has its own separate printing and tape-advancing mechanisms and during the recording of quotations on one tape, the recording and tape-advancing mechanisms associated with the other tapes are disabled. Hence printing occurs only on one tape at a time and printing on a particular tape represents the signals from an associated and predetermined exchange.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the selection of the various tapes is effected by the receipt of selecting signals transmitted as complete code groups of impulses in themselves, and they determine which one of the tapes the following signals will be recorded upon. The selected one of the tapes continues to have following signals recorded thereupon until the transmission and receipt of another selecting signal, each of the tapes and printing mechanisms having their own associated selected signals.

In the modified embodiment of the invention the selection of the various tapes and printing mechanisms is effected by the transmission of pro-selecting impulses transmitted in conjunction with each signal group of impulses. Thus, in the modified embodiment a tape and its associated printing mechanism is selected in conjunction with the receipt of each code group of impulses or the recording of each character.

Referring first to Fig. 1 which shows the preferred embodiment of the invention wherein separate selecting signals are transmitted preceding each code group of impulses to select which one of the tapes will have following signals recorded thereon, the selector magnet ll controls the operation of the ticker as hereinafter pointed out in response to signal impulses received over the line L. The high-speed ticker is adapted to operate on a start-stop principle and in the preferred embodiment each code group of impulses comprises eight separate impulses, the first being a start impulse of invariable character followed by six intelligence impulses varying in accordance with the character or function to be printed or performed and terminated by a stop impulse of invariable character and opposite to the start impulse. Of the six intelligence impulses five determine the stop position of the typewheel while the sixth intelligence impulse determines whether a figure or letters character will be recorded.

The selector magnet ll operates in response to the start impulse to initiate rotation of a frictionally driven cam drum or pin barrel l2 driven from a constantly rotating shaft ll. Arranged around the periphery of the pin barrel I! are pins H which cooperate with selectors IE, only one of which is shown in Fig. 1, to operate the same in accordance with the associated signaling impulses as will appear hereinafter. There are as many selectors It as there are intelligence impulses in each code group and all are pivotally mounted side by side on a pivot rod II. There are two pins H on the pin barrel for each selector I6 and in accordance with the particular signaling impulse, the pin barrel I2 is moved axially along the shaft I! to bring either one or the other of a pair of pins into operative engagement with the associated selector. The means of controlling start and stop of pin barrel 1! and means of moving it axially along the shaft IS in response to impulses received by magnet H is not shown or described herein as it is considered unnecessary for a complete understanding of the invention. However, this description appears in the above mentioned patent. Each selector has two arms I8 and I 9, the arm I8 extending above the pin barrel with the arm is extending below the pin barrel and depending upon the axial position of the pin barrel I2, one or the other of the pins of a set will engage either the upper or lower arm II and i9, respectively, of the associated selector ii. If a pin ll of the pin barrel engages the upper arm of a selector IE, it is pivoted a slight amount in a clockwise direction whereas if a pin engages the lower arm IS, the selector is pivoted a slight amount in a counter-clockwise direction. Detents (not shown) cooperate with the selectors ii to maintain the same in either one or the other of their two operated positions or until the position thereof is changed by a pin engaging the opposite arm.

Each selector l6 has two downwardly extending arms 2| and 22 which cooperate in a manner hereinafter pointed out with upwardly ex tending arms 23 and 24, respectively, of associated transfer lever 26, only the one transfer lever which cooperates with the selector l6 being shown in Fig. 1.

The speed of rotation of the pin barrel I2 is such that the pins l4 thereon successively cooperate with the selectors li during the receipt of respective intelligence signaling impulses and accordingly the selectors are set in either one of their two positions in accordance with their respective signaling impulses. After positioning of the selectors IS in accordance with the received code group of impulses, the stop impulse is effective to stop the pin barrel I2 in its normal rest position.

During the rotation of the pin barrel ii, an operating cam (not shown) is released for one revolution at a time and during the rotation thereof performs various printer functions in conjunction with each received code group of impulses. The transfer levers 26 are pivotally mounted at 21 and the operating cam (not shown) causes the elevation of the transfer levers and their pivot.

As the transfer levers 26 are raised, either one or the other of the arms 23 or 24 thereof engage aasms'ss" with one or the other" of the arms. and 22, respectively, of the associated selectors II. which one of the arms of a selector i8 is engaged by an arm of a transfer lever 28 is determined o typewheels 88 to 88 are two'printing hammers by the position of the'seiector and it in turn causes either clockwise or colmter-clockwise pivoting ofthe transfer levers as they eng ge the selectors.-

Extending downwardly from five'of the transfer levers 28 are round-ended arms 28, which are engaged in slots 28 of associated code discs 8|; The code discs 8| are arranged for rotary movement within predetermined limits about the axis of a typewheel shaft 82 extending'throllh the centers thereof. The code discs II are posle tioned into one or the other of their two operated positions as the transfer levers move into contact or engagement with their associated selectors i8. Predeterminedly arranged around the code discs 8| are notches such as 88, the notches in each code disc being arranged differently from those in each of the others and cooperating with the notches are a series of stop pins 38. The stop pins 83 are urged toward the center of the typewheel shaft 82 by springs (not shown) and for each combination of settings of the code disc 8i a row of notches therein are in alignment, permitting a particular one of the stop pins to move into the aligned row of notches. Fixed to the typewheel shaft 32, which is frictionally driven by means not shown. is a stop arm 34 and when a stop pin is selected by being allowed to enter an aligned row of notches in the code wheels 48 to It srein printing position. How

, ever, as hereinafter pointed out, printing is effected from only one of the typewheels at a time. Associated with the under side of each one of the such as ll. all being pivotally mounted adjacent their left hand ends on a common pivot rod 4!.

Normally all the print hammers 88 rest against a common back stop rod lfl extending therebeneath 1 and out of engagement with associated typewheeis. Each one of thetwo print hammers of a set is in alignment with 'an associated row of characters or type on the associated typewheel and the actuation or operation of either one or is the other of. the hammers determines whether '2'6 guided beneath the typewheel and over the hamof the selectors N, the selected stop pin 83 is cammed away from the shaft 82 by. the notches in the code discs and causes disengagement thereof with the end of the stop arm 84, freeing the stop arm for rotation whereupon it rotates until it engages the stop pin selected in accordance with the new setting of the code discs 8|. Thus the typewheel shaft I2 is stopped in any one of a plurality of positions by the stop pins 33 with the stopped position thereof corresponding to the received code group of impulses.

The transfer lever 28 not associated with a code disc 3! is called the shift transfer lever and has associated therewith a shift lever 86. The shift lever 38 is raised with the transfer lever 28 and is positioned into one or the other of its two operated positions depending on the position of its associated selector it. The lower end of the shift lever 36 is bifurcated and engages an arm 31 extending from a shift ball 38, Fig. 2 In the highspeed ticker the typewheel has two rows of characters thereon, a figures row and a letters row, and the shift lever 88 in a manner hereinafter pointed out determines whether a letter or figure will be printed on'the printing operation performed in conjunction with the received code 1 group of impulses.

In accordance with the invention the regular typewheel shaft of the high-speed ticker is replaced by a shaft 82 which extends toward the front and has spaced along the extension thereof four typewheels 88, ll, 42 and 48. The typewheels are clamped to the typewheel shaft 82 for rotation therewith and are so arranged that when the typewheel shaft 82 is stopped in any one of its selected angular positions by a stop pin 33, the same letter or figure on all the typeterponent 88 associated with the hammers- M in mers 88 by guides not shown.

Associated-with each one of the typewheeis 48 to 88 are individual print control magnets 88 to 88, respectively, each having an armature 88 pivotally mounted at its lower end on rods such as 8 8. The armatures 84 of the print control magnets 88 to 83 are normally biased to their right hand or retracted positions by associated springs 81 and'pivotally attached to the upper ends of the armatures 84 and extending therefrom toward the right are interponents 88, each armature having two' interponents. The interponents 88 are normallyheld down against a back stop 89 'by attached springs Bi and each inhave at their right hand ends upwardly extending projections 82 and with the interponent in its normal unoperated position, the projection 82 is out of alignment with the right hand end of the associated print hammer 44. Accordingly, when an interponent is pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction in a manner hereinafter pointed out,

the associated print hammer is not actuated.-

In order that only one of the print hammers of a set be actuated at a time, the shift ball 88 is employed. The shift ball 38 extends beneath all of the interponents 58 and is pivotally mounted on a rod 63 carried in the left hand ends of a striker ball 84. The striker bail v 68 is U- shaped and is pivotally mounted on a fixed pivot rod 8. Fixed to the striker ball 64 is an operating arm 81 which is adapted to operate the strikerbaii once for each cycle of operation of the receiver .to elevate the shift ball 38.

- The shift ball 88 is shifted by the shift lever 88 as hereinbefore pointed out to bring either 0 one or the other of two sets of adjustabiy carterponent is in alignment with an associated one of the print hammers 48. The interponents 88 therefrom.

line with the figures rows of characters on the associated typewheels 48 to 48. Accordingly each time the striker ball 84 operates with the shift bail in this position, the pins 88 engage associated interponents 88 to elevate the same. However, since the projections 82 on only one set of the interponents 88 are in alignment with the ends 01 an associated set of print hammers, only one print hammer will be actuated to press the associated tape 48 against a typewheel. With the shift bail 88 in its other or unshift position, the pins 88 thereon are adapted to operate the interponents 88 beneath the hammers 44 associated with the letters rows of characters on the typewheel and depending upon which one of the print control magnets 88 to 88 is operated at this time, the associated letters print hammer is actuated to press the recording tape against a letters character on the typewheel. Thus only either one or the other of the two print hammers 44 associated with the print control magnet that is energized is actuated during operation of the striker bail 84 while the shift ball 88 determines which one of these two hammers 44 is operated at a time. Accordingly only the tape 48 asso-.

ciated with the energized print control magnet will have characters recorded thereon one at a time, an operation of the striker ball 84. The manner of selectively operating a particular one and only one of the print control magnets 88 to 88 at a time will hereinafter be pointed out.

Only the tape 48 associated with the typewheel from which recordings are being made should be advanced while those associated with the other typewheels are not, and the arrangement for accomplishing this will now be described. A feed ball 18 pivotally mounted at H is oscillated once for each cycle of operation of the printer. The feed bail 18 carries at its left hand end an operating pawl 12 which cooperates with a feed ratchet 1-8 to rotate the same one step for each oscillation of the ball. The ratchet 18 is fixed to a shaft 14 which extends over all the tapes 48 and fixed in spaced relation along the shaft 14 are feed wheels or rollers 18, one associated with each of the tapes 48. Beneath each of the feed rollers 18 are associated pressure rollers 11 pivotally carried at the end of leftwardly extending arms 18 of associated bell crank levers 18. The bell crank levers 18 are pivotally mounted at 8I and depending arms thereof carry armatures 82. The armatures 82 are in operative relation with associated feed control magnets 88 to 88. When one of the feed control magnets 88 to 88 is energlzed, the associated bell crank lever 18 is pivoted in a clockwise direction to move the associated pressure roller 11 and tape 48 against the feed wheel or roller 18 thereabove. Hence when the shaft 14 is rotated by the feed pawl 12, together with the feed rollers .18, the tape 48 held in contact with one of the feed rollers by the associated pressure roller 11 will be advanced a predetermined amount concomitantly with each cycle of operation of the receiver. The bell crank lever 18 associated with the typewheel 48 is shown in its operated position holding the tape 48 against the associated feed wheel 18, whereas the bell crank levers associated with the other typewheels assasas ated with other than the operated print control and feed control magnets 88 and 88, respectively, as shown in Fig. 1, are free. This allows the tapes on which characters are not being recorded to be manually advanced to allow the last character recorded thereon to be pulled out from beneath the typewheel without disturbing the associated tape feeding mechanisms. As the last character recorded on the tape is directly beneath the typewheels, unless a number of tape feeding operations are performed, the freeing of the tapes in the non-operative printing units is one of the features of the invention.

The manner in which a particular one of the feed control magnets 88 to 88 is operated at a time will be described hereinafter in conjunction with the selection of one of the print control magnets 88 to 88 for operation.

The selection of the print control and feed control magnets for operation is effected through the operation of predetermined of the stop pins 88 and shift lever 88. Associated with the upper end ofshift lever 88 is a contact 88 with an insulating member 8| on one of the springs thereof adapted to cooperate with the shift lever in such manner that when the shift lever is in shift position the contact 88 is closed and with the shift lever in an unshift position the contact is open. One of the springs of the contact 88 has battery applied thereto while the other spring thereof is connected by a conductor 82 in parallel to one of the springs or elements of each of four contacts 88 to 88. The contacts 88 to 88 have a stationary element and a movable element to which is attached an insulating member such as 81 which cooperates with predetermined of the stop pins 88, the insulating member 81 of contact 88 cooperating with stop' pin 88a, that of contacts 84, 88 and 88 with stop pins 88b, 88c and 88d respectively. The movable element of contact 88 is connected by a conductor 88 through the upper coil of relay 88 and thence through its lower 'coil to ground and also by conductor "I through the lower coils in parallel of relays I82, I88 and I84 to ground. The stationary element of contact 84 is connected by a conductor I88 through the upper coil of relay I82 also through its own lower coil to ground and thence by conductor I8I through the lower coils of relays 88, I88 and I84 to ground. Similarly the stationary element of contact 88 is connected by a conductor I81 through the upper coil of relay I88 and thence in parallel through its own lower coil and the lower coils of relays 88, I82 and I84 to ground. The stationary element of contact 88 is connected by conductor I88 through the upper coil of relay I84 and thence in parallel through its own lower coil and the lower coils of relays 88, I82 and I 88 to ground. The right hand stops of the relays 88, I82, I88 and I84 are connected in parallel by conductor I88 to battery. The tongue of relay 88 is connected by conductor III through the feed control and print control magnets 88-and 88, respectively, to ground associated with the typewheel 48. Similarly the tongues of relays I82, I88 and I84 are connected by individual conductors H2, H8 and 4, respectively, through the feed and print control magnets associated with the typewheels 4|, 42 and 48, respectively.

The contacts 88 to 88 associated with the stop pins 884 to 88d, respectively, are arranged so that with the associated ones of the stop pins in their normal unselected positions the contacts are held open and when the code discs 8i are moved so as to allow the selection of one of these stop pins the associated contact and only this one is allowed to close. Let it be assumed,

for example, that it is desired to print or record on the tape 48 associated with the typewheel 43, accordingly it is necessary as pointed out above to cause the energization of the print and feed control magnets 53 and 86, respectively. The predetermined code group of impulses for eflecting this operation is such that the shift lever 36 is moved to its shift positionand the code discs 3I positioned to allow the selection ofv the stop pin 33d. The operation of the shift lever 36 to its shift position allows the contact 89 to close applying battery over conductor 92 to one spring of the contacts 93 to 96 and while contact 89 is closed the pin 33d allows contact 96 to close.

The closing of contacts 89 and 96 simultaneously completes a circuit from battery at contact 89 over conductor 92, through contact 96, over conductor I 03, through the upper coil of relay I04 and thence via conductor IOI through the lower coils of relays 99, I02, I03 and I 04 to ground. The coils of the relays 99, I02, I03 and I04 are so arranged that the above described circuit c uses the tongues of the first three, namely 99, I02 and I03 to move to the left while the tongue of relay I04 moves to its right hand stop. The upper coil of relay I04 has the full current passing therethrough while its lower coil has only one-fourth of the current opposing it. The right hand stop of relay I 04, like that of the other relays, has potential applied thereto and as its tongue makes engagement therewith potential is applied over conductor I-I4 through the feed control and print control magnets 86 and 53, respectively, to ground cailsing the energlzation of these magnets. The movement of the tongues of the relays 99, I02 and I03 to their left hand stops opens the circuit to the one of the print and feed control magnets that happened to have been previously energized. Hence all of these magnets will at this time be deenergized and the associated print and tape feed mechanisms disabled. The relays 99, I02, I03

and I04 are such that the tongues thereof remain.

on either their left or right hand stop as moved by currents in their operating coils and although a part of the current flowing in the upper coils of the relay I04 is permitted to flow through the lower coil thereof, the upper coil has a predominating effect on the control of movement of the tongue. Thus the circuits to the print and feed control magnets associated with typewheels 40 to 42 remain incompleted while the circuit to the magnets associated with the typewheel 43 remains completed until the condition of the relays is changed in accordance with the operation of one of the contacts 93 to 95 in conjunction with the operation of the contact 89. Accordingly, all following quotations or signals received on the printer will be recorded on the tape 48 associated with the typewheel 43.

It will be noted that the shift lever 36 has to be in its shift position before the contact 89 can be closed and therefore the condition of the relays is not changed unless the contact 89 is closed on the selection of One of the pins 33a to 33d, hence the printing of letters character selected by the selection of one of the stop pins 33a to 33 does not eiiect the operation of any of the print and feed control magnets 50 to 53 and 83 to 86 respectively.

In a manner similar to that described above, the selection of one of the stop pins 33a, 33b or 33c, with the shift lever 36 in its shift position, operates the relays 99, I02, I03 and I94 to effect printing on either one of the tapes 48 associated with the typewheels 40, H and 42, respectively.

Although it is shown and described above how to select the printing and tape feeding units associated with four separate tapes it is obvious that by the employment of fewer or more contacts such as 93 to 98 the number of tapes and printing units controlled by one ticker could be changed. The limiting factors determining the number of printing units employed are the number of available stop pins such as 33a to 33d which do not have used characters assigned thereto in the figures position and the average number of quotations per unit of time usually transmitted in conjunction with the quotations and news from such exchange.

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 3 two extra sets of pins of two each such as I4 are added to the pin barrel I2, also two extra selectors such as I6 and two extra transfer levers such as 26 are added. Associated with the two extra transfer levers are two contact operating levers I I6 and Ill. The contact operating levers are pivotally mounted adjacent their centers on a pivot I I8 and have the upwardly extending ends thereon bifurcated to engage rounded depending sections such as 28 of associated transfer levers 26. Depending upon the position of the selectors I6 at the time the transfer levers 26 are moved into engagement therewith the contact operating levers H6 and H1 are pivoted a slight amount either in a counter-clockwise or clockwise direction. Stops H9 and I2I on either side of the contact operating levers II Band II! limit'the pivoting movement thereof. Associated with the lower ends of the contact levers are jockey rollers I22 carried in the right hand ends of associated pivoted jockey levers I23. The levers I23 are pivoted adjacent their centers on a pivot pin I24 and have individual springs I26 at their left hand ends which tend to pivot the levers in a counter-clockwise direction. The rollers I22 cooperating with the contact operating levers H6 and III Jockey the same into either one or the other of their two operated positions.

Associated with the contact operating lever II6 are two contacts indicated in general by reference numerals I21 and I28. Similarly, two contacts indicated in general by reference numerals I29 and I30 are associated with the contact operating lever Ill. The contacts I21 to I30 each have two stops with a movable tongue disposed therebetween, the tongue being biased toward their left hand stops. and I28 are connected together by an insulating member I3I engageable with the contact operating lever H6 at a point below the pivot II8. A similar insulating member I32 connects the tongues of relays I29 and I30 for operation together and is operable by the contact operating lever III. The tongues of the contacts I21 and I28 have battery applied thereto and the left hand stop of the contact I2! is connected by a conductor I33 to the tongue of contact I29 while the right hand stop of contact I29 is connected by a conductor I34 to the tongue of contact I30. Extending from the left and right hand stops of the contacts I29 and I30 are individual conductors I35, I36, I31 and I38. With these conductors connected to conductors such as III to H4 of Fig. 1 the selective operation of the contact operating levers H6 and III in a manner hereinafter described permits operation of one Tongues of the contacts I2I set of print and feedcontrol magnets II to 53 and '53 to it respectively at a time. Obviously in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the relays", I 02, I and I 04 together with the contacts on the shift lever and the stop pins 530 to "d are not required. Y

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 the two intelligence impulses accompanying each code group are employed to operate the selectors ll associated with the contact operating levers H6 and Ill and they arepivoted into either one or the other of their two operated positions in accordance with the character of these two signaling impulses. These signaling impulses which ma" be called pre-selecting impulses are transmitted along with each of the groups of intelligence impulses that cause the selective operation of the code discs 3| and shift lever 36 and depending upon the operation of these contact operating levers, potential is applied to any one of the conductors I35 to I35 at a time. As the application of potential to these conductors occurs prior to the accompanying operation of the striker ball 54 for the accompanying cycleof operation of the receiver, the print control and feed control magnets associated with the tape 48 upon which it is desired to record the accompanying character will be energized to cause recording of the character on that particular tape.

With the contact operating lever H6 against its right hand stop III and the contact operating lever H'I against its left hand stop H9, as shown in Fig. 3, a circuit is completed through the tongue and right hand stop of contact I28, over conductor I34, through the tongue and left hand stop of contact I30 and over conductors I31 and I I3 through the feed control and print control magnets 85 and 52 respectively to ground. Accordingly the accompanying character will be recorded on the tape 48 associated with the typewheel 42. In a similar manner any one of the tapes associated with the other typewheels 40,

4| or 43 could be selected to have characters recorded thereon by the proper positioning of the contact operating levers H6 and ill. With two contact operating levers connected as shown it is possible to select any one of four print control and feed control magnets and by changing the number of extra selectors such as H6 and associated contact operating levers such a H and ill the number of tapes capable of having characters recorded thereon could be changed.

Although the invention has herein been described for operation in conjunction with the recording on tapes it will be obvious that with modifications as taught by the principles of the invention, an arrangement could be provided for selectively recording on any one of a plurality of pages. In such an arrangement four movable typewheels moving together could be employed to move across amociated pages.

The invention has been described and shown as illustrating how the quotations from four exchanges received over a single line may operate a single ticker to record the quotations on four separate tapes, each exchange having its respective tape. If a customer had no desire for the quotations from one or more of these four exchanges while desiring the quotations from the other exchanges all that would be necessary would be to permanently open the circuit to print and feed control magnets normally controlling the printing of the quotations from the exchanges not wanted.

It will also be obvious that various other modiiications of the apparatus shown and described herein may be made without departing from the spirit or essential attributes of the invention, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a telegraph receiver, a selector for controlling said telegraph receiver and responsive to received code groups of impulses, a plurality of recording tapes, a plurality of separate printing and tape'i'eeding mechanisms one of each associated with each recording tape, means controlled by said selector mechanism operable in response to predetermined code groups of impulses for selectively rendering said printing and associated tape feeding mechanisms operative and selectively controlling the selected printing mechanisms to record following code groups of impulses on associated tapes and advance the same in conjunction with each recording and means for rendering the others of said printing and tape feeding mechanisms inoperative and freeing the tape at said inoperative tape feeding mechanisms.

2. In a telegraph receiver, a selector mechanism for controlling said telegraph receiver and responsive to received code groups of impulses, a plurality of recording tapes, a plurality of separate printing and tape feeding mechanisms one of each associated with each recording tape, means controlled by said selector mechanism responsive to signal impulses accompanying each code group of impulses for selecting upon which of said recording tapes the character represented by the accompanying character determining impulses are recorded, means controlled by said selector mechanism for recording on the selected of said tapes and means for rendering only the printing and tape feeding mechanisms associated with said selected tape or tapes operative to record the characters representing the accompanying code group of impulses thereon and advance the tape or tapes respectively.

3. In a telegraph machine having a plurality of character selecting elements and a case shift selecting element, a selector mechanism for selecting said character and case shift selecting elements responsive to received permutation signals, each permutation consisting of character selecting conditions and a case shift selecting condition, contacts associated with predetermined of said character selecting elements and a contact associated with said case shift selecting element, a plurality of recording tapes in said telegraph machine and means controlled by the operation of said case shift selecting element contact and at least one of said character selecting element contacts for recording said permutation signals on only predetermined of said recording apes.

4. In a telegraph machine having a plurality of character selecting elements and a case shift selecting element, a selector mechanism for selecting said character and case shift selecting elements responsive to received permutation signals, each permutation consisting of character selecting conditions and a case shift selecting condition, contacts associated with predetermined of said character selecting elements and a contact associated with said case shift selecting element, a plurality of recording tapes in said telegraph machine and means controlled by the operation of said case shift selecting element contact and at least one of said character selecting element contacts for recording said permutation signals on one only of said recording tapes and advance thesame concommitantly with the recording operation while preventing recording of an advancement of the others of said recording tapes.

5. In a telegraph receiver having a plurality of character selecting elements and a case shift selecting element and comprising a selector mechanism responsive to received permutation signals having character selecting and case selecting conditions, a plurality of recording units in said receiver having separate recording mediums, a control means including said selector mechanism for each recording unit and means controlled by the combined positions of said character selecting elements and said case shift selecting element for selectively operating said recording unit control means to selectively record characters representing said permutation signals on predetermined of said separate recording mediums.

6. In a telegraph receiver having a plurality of character selecting elements and a case shift selecting element and comprising a selector mechanism responsive to received permutation signals having character selecting and case selecting conditions, a plurality of recording units in said receiver having separate recording Inediums, a control means including said selector mechanism for each recording unit, means controlled by the combined positions of said character selecting elements and said case shift selecting element for selectively operating said recording unit control means to selectively record characters representing said permutation signals on predetermined of said separate recording mediums, means for advancing the recording medium concommitantly with the recording of a character thereon and means controlled by said recording medium control units for preventing the advancement of the others of said recording mediums.

7. In a telegraph machine having character selecting and case selecting elements selectively controlled by received permutation signals, a first means controlled by said selecting elements operative to select case characters for recording, contacts associated with. certain of said selecting elements, a plurality of recording mediums and a second means including said contacts for recording said characters selected by said character and case selecting elements on one or another of said recording mediums.

8. In a telegraph receiver selectively responsive to received permutation groups of signals and having a set of selectors one for each inmechanisms and means controlled by other of said selectors for selecting predetermined of said recording mechanisms to record the character selected by the predetermined of said selectors.

9. In a telegraph receiver selectively responsive to received permutation groups of signals, each of said groups comprising character and recorder unit selecting impulses, a plurality of recording units, means controlled by said character selecting impulses for selecting a character in each of said recording units, means controlled by said recorder unit selecting impulses for selecting which of said recording units will record the characters selected by the accompanying character selecting impulses.

10. In a cyclically operable telegraph receiver selectively responsive to received groups of signals, each of said groups comprising character and printer unit selector impulses, a plurality of recording tapes, a like plurality of printing units, means controlled by said character selecting impulses for selecting a character in each of said recording units, a striker bail and feed. wheels associated with each of said printing units and invariably operated for each cycle of operation of said receiver, print hammers, interponents and pressure wheels associated with each of said printing units, means controlled by said printer unit selecting impulses to move the interponents of predetermined of said printing units relative to said striker bail and associated print hammers and the pressure wheels and tapes into engagement with associated feed wheels whereby recording of said selected characters occurs on predetermined of said tapes which are advanced concommitantly with the recording thereon.

11. In a cyclically operable telegraph receiver selectively responsive to received permutation groups of signals, each of said groups comprising groups ofcharacter. selecting and groups of printer unit selecting impulses, a plurality of recording tapes, a like plurality of printing units, means controlled by said character selecting impulses for selecting a character in each of said recording units a striker bail and feed wheels associated with each of said printing units and invariably operated during each cycle of operation of said receiver, print hammers interponents and pressure wheels associated with each of said printing units and means controlled by groups of printer selecting impulses received before character selecting groups to move the interponents of predetermined of said printing units relative to said striker bail and associated print hammers and the pressure wheels and tapes into engagement with associated feed wheels whereby recording of said selected characters occur on only predetermined of said tapes which are concommitantly advanced with the recording thereon.

EVAN R. WHEELER. ROBERT F. DIRKES. VERNON R. KIMBALL. 

